Slow roasted fish

I eat a lot of fish.  Most of the time we have fish at least four nights a week and when my true love is traveling, that will increase to five or six.  One of the problems with cooking fish is that the line between cooked and overcooked can be very fine and easily crossed.  One of my favorite cookbooks is Sally Schneider’s A New Way to Cook and I love it for many reasons but one of the biggest reasons is that she introduced me to slow roasting as a technique for cooking fish.

Let’s get some definitions out of the way.  In this context, fish does not include any kind of shellfish and I’m don’t think this would be a good approach for fish commonly sold in steak form (swordfish, tuna, etc.).  I’m talking about fish like cod, haddock, turbot, paice, snapper, and so on.  I’ve seen this technique recommended for salmon but every time I’ve tried slow roasting salmon I get that white stuff that sometimes shows up on salmon that’s a little overcooked (the technical term is albumin and it’s harmless, ugly, and an indicator you cooked the fish a little too long) on the parts of the filet that are thinner than others.  If the salmon is of uniform thickness, this technique will work well.

Also, slow roasting really means roasting at a low temperature.  Maybe in the culinary world slow and low are synonymous because the air molecules in a temperate at a low over are moving slower than air molecules in a hot oven but I’ve always thought that using the word slow in this context was a little unusual.

Anyway, the basic technique is to preheat the oven to a low temperature (Schneider uses 275°) and I’ve found that to work pretty well.  Drizzle a little olive oil on the fish, season with salt and pepper, and put it in the oven.  When it’s ready, it will be moister, flakier, and tastier than you’re used to if you regular technique is broiling or roasting at higher (400° plus) temperatures.  Add a little tartar sauce or spicy mayonnaise and you’ve got a delicious main course.

The timing is pretty important.  I’ve seen references in Schneider’s book, other books, and blogs that say something like 5 minutes for every 1/4″ of fish or 10 minutes for 1″ but I’ve never found that approach to be all that useful.  First, invest in a good instant read thermometer.  Then, after putting in the oven, let it cook for ten minutes and then test it.  Place the thermometer in the middle of the thickest part of the fish and if you get a reading of 120° or more, you are done.  If not, put it back and wait another couple of minutes (judge the time by how close you are to 120°.  Since the oven temperature is so low, you run almost no risk of overcooking.

And while the fish is spending all that time in the oven at a low temperature, you can be cooking vegetables, setting the table, loading the dishwasher with your prep bowls and utensils, or relaxing with your dinner mate.

Recipe

Ingredients (per serving)

6 oz flaky white fish (cod, turbot, haddock, snapper, monkfish, etc.)

olive oil

salt and pepper

Directions

Preheat the oven to 275°

Drizzle a little olive oil over the fish and season with salt and pepper.

Line a small baking sheet with parchment paper (or however you prepare food for the oven) and put the fish on the sheet.  Place in the oven for ten minutes.

Test the fish for doneness after ten minutes by inserting an instant read thermometer into the middle of the thickest part of the fish.  If the temperature is 120°, it’s done.  If it’s too low, put it back in the over.  Keep testing for doneness until ready.

Serve with sauce or condiment of your choice.